Jon Marthaler's soccer short takes

Short takes

• The opening of Los Angeles FC's new stadium last week was marred by fans who, in the manner of so many Mexican team fans, hurled a homophobic slur in unison toward the opposing goalkeeper after every goal kick. To LAFC's credit, the club immediately announced it would eject any fans doing the chant and cancel their season tickets— a zero-tolerance policy that hopefully stands as an example for teams south of the border.

• By any measure, it's been a bad season for Arsenal, which capped the ugly run by losing in the Europa League semifinals this week. How bad? So bad that Paddy Power Betfair, an Irish bookmaking company, blamed its poor quarterly financial results in part on Arsenal losing so many games that discouraged customers simply gave up betting.

• The relegation battle in the Premier League is heating up, and if you're looking for a dog in the fight, you could do worse than throwing your support behind Huddersfield Town. The newly promoted side is managed by German-American David Wagner, who played for the U.S. men's national team in the late 1990s. The only American manager in the league has his team in 16th place, three points out of the relegation zone.